just…thinking

I visited Emily Dickinson’s home this weekend, a tremendous treat for me since she’s one of my favorite poets. It was a delightful way to spend a little time indoors on a rainy New England afternoon. I loved seeing the little bits of history they had there, but I especially enjoyed a little moment upstairs in her bedroom, where I stood at the window and looked out at the field she must have gazed upon a million times. The docent explained she was playful and would call to the neighborhood children playing out there and lower a little basket of gingerbread to them.

What a quirky thing! I loved the thought of a playful Emily, laughing in that room.

I also liked hearing about it — that somehow enough of her life was recorded that these kinds of stories could be shared. I wondered what people might say about me when I’m gone. I hope they say I liked to laugh. And I was kind.

What about you? What would people say about your life?

I had no time to hate, because
The grave would hinder me,
And life was not so ample I
Could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love, but since
Some industry must be,
The little toil of love, I thought,
Was large enough for me.

a modern still life

The view from my office this morning shows a bowl of pears, a candle, and a flower (the traditional elements), along with my almost finished latte and journal, and then … Random crap on my table… Some seeds, a bag of apples, lightbulbs, a bottle of drain cleaner. And caulk.

Because who couldn’t use a little caulk.

I feel like Rembrandt.

No. Not really. I don’t even feel like Andy Warhol.

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Happy New Year 2009!

Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. According to Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Marialis Cultus, “This celebration… is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation….It is likewise a fitting occasion for renewed adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once more to the glad tidings of the angels, and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace.”  It is a beautiful and fitting way to start the new year because Mary’s example of obedience to God serves as a model for all of us to trust, explicitly, in God’s will.

It is easy to accept God’s will in our lives when things are going well, but when we face challenges in our lives, whether they be related to poor health, financial struggles, difficulties in our relationships, or any number of disappointments that hurt us, embracing Mary’s example of submission seems practically impossible.

Secular society treats the word “submit” with great disdain. We are taught through the media, the “talking heads”, and celebrities who really have no qualifications as role models that submission is a sign of weakness, and worse, the result of oppression. For Christians, however, submission to God’s will is an action.

It is a choice that we make.

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